1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for testing multiple digital signal transceivers in parallel, taking advantage of predefined uplink (UL) test sequences, configuring the test equipment measurements for different segments of the UL test sequence, and decreasing overall test time thereby.
2. Related Art
Many of today's handheld devices make use of wireless “connections” for telephony, digital data transfer, geographical positioning, and the like. Despite differences in frequency spectra, modulation methods, and spectral power densities, the wireless connectivity standards use synchronized data packets to transmit and receive data.
In general, all of these wireless-connectivity capabilities (e.g. WiFi, WiMAX, Bluetooth, etc.) are defined by industry-approved standards (e.g. IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.16) which specify the parameters and limits to which devices having those connectivity capabilities must adhere.
At any point along the device-development continuum, it may be necessary to test and verify that a device is operating within its standards' specifications. Testing takes time, requires specialized instrumentation, and adds to the cost of producing such devices. Therefore, inventions that can reduce overall test time without compromising on required thoroughness are very desirable.
When devices are tested contemporaneously (i.e. in parallel), test-time per unit is reduced by the number of devices. For example, if testing a single device takes 100 seconds, and testing four of them contemporaneously can be done in 120 seconds using essentially the same measurement equipment, then the test-time per device is now 30 seconds.